Joseph Tracy
Joseph Tracy (1793–1874) was a
Early life and education
Joseph Tracy was born November 3, 1793, in
Early career
Like many other college graduates of his day, he first supported himself by
Later life and work
However, he gave up the law for the ministry, studying under Asa Burton of Thetford, Vermont, and was admitted to the ministry of the Congregational Churches on June 26, 1821. From 1821 to 1828 he held the pastorates of two churches in villages near Thetford, but by the latter year it became apparent that his true work lay in a different branch of church activities. He was appointed in the autumn of 1828 to take the editorship of the "Vermont Chronicle", an organ of the Vermont Congregational Churches, which had been founded in 1826 by his younger brother, Ebenezer Carter Tracy. In 1834, he again exchanged positions with his brother, becoming editor of the Boston Recorder. He also served for a short time in 1837 as editor of the New York Observer. During and after this time he published several books, including: The Three Last Things, 1839, an essay on resurrection, judgment and final retribution; The Great Awakening, 1842, a history of the religious revival in America in the mid to late 18th century (some scholars attribute the well-known name of that movement to Rev. Tracy's work); and The History of the Missions of the American Board, 1842.
Tracy had eight children with his first wife, Eleanor, who died in 1836. He remarried in 1842 to Sarah Prince. In his later years, he was cared for by his wife and two unmarried daughters. He was the guardian of his granddaughter, Martha Tracy Owler.[2] He died in his home in Beverly, Massachusetts, on March 24, 1874, after a short illness.
Views and affiliations
Tracy's theological views were absolutely orthodox for his denomination, even puritan in outlook. However, in a time of extreme turbulence in his church, his tolerance was notable. Tradition within the Tracy family suggests that he assisted
From his college days, Tracy was closely associated with the New England group who were leaders in the development of political feeling in the north, most notably Rufus Choate and Daniel Webster, both fellow Dartmouth graduates. In 1842, he began his life work as secretary of the Massachusetts Colonization Society, an affiliate of the American Colonization Society, a position he held until his death in 1874. He became a director of the parent society in 1858 and attended the annual meetings at the Washington headquarters. The "Memorial of the Semi-Centennial Anniversary of the American Colonization Society," published 1867, contains a historical account by him of the work of the society.
These Societies, which arose in several states including the South, beginning in 1817, undertook to solve, or alleviate, the slavery question by acquiring freedom for black slaves and transporting them by ship back to Africa. In actuality, the motives of the colonization supporters were mixed—many supporters were no abolitionists, but instead wanted to be rid of the free Negro population. By the time Tracy began his work, it was clear that large-scale colonization was a failure and that much of the movement was discredited.
Tracy's did not view Liberia as a mere convenient place for an inconvenient population. Besides sincere anti-slavery views, he saw African colonization as a way of Christian mission. He also had an important influence in the founding of the college at Liberia and bringing it into successful operation.
Tracy was in some ways a typical figure in the period of American history known as the New England Renaissance. His upbringing and inclination looked back to the Pilgrim fathers—he called Christmas a heathen holiday, yet never interfered with his family's celebration of it—but his education and tolerance heralded the beginnings of a more modern sensibility.
Footnotes
- OCLC 04072330.
- ^ "BIG AND LITTLE. Martha Tracy Owler". The Standard Union. 5 September 1891. p. 8. Retrieved 21 November 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.